Missoni Home Buyer's Guide

Missoni Home has grown into one of the most successful fashion led luxury homeware brands available today. One of the first to take the leap from the catwalk to the couch they have proven that fashion is as important for the home as it is for the wardrobe

History

Starting back in 1953, it all began when founders Ottavio & Rosita married and set up a small knitwear shop called Malglificio Jolly in Gallarate, Lombardy, Italy. The first Missoni labelled garments were created in 1958 and it was in 1962 the iconic Missoni zigzag was first implemented. Discovering the Raschel knitting machines that could create zigzags they could now expand their designs from stripes, plains & simple jacquards.

Fashion Forward

The next catalyst was around 1965 when the Missoni label gained interest from Italian editor Anna Piaggi, who championed the innovative knits and helped garner press coverage for the brand. The 70’s was a golden era and saw their popularity rise and influence soar, they helped to move Milan into the coveted fashion centre it is still to this day, and also helped create Milan fashion week.

The first Missoni Home collection was created in 1983, launched with furnishing fabrics produced by Rosita’s family mill. Along with over 25 sub-lines that Missoni have created, including Missoni menswear and M Missoni, Missoni Home has continued to produce innovative collections that keep fans coming back season after season. As Rosita explained to Amara in an interview in 2011:

‘A Fashion Style is most of the time a Lifestyle and the Home Collection is the spontaneous expression of it. ‘

Family Fortunes

Missoni also has the added charm of being a family run business, Rosita is the matriarch and her daughter Angela is Creative Director. Rosita’s son Vittorio is marketing director, brother Luca heads the Ottavio and Rosita Missoni Foundation, and Angela’s daughter a part time model and unofficial muse of the Missoni collection as well as the face of the Missoni fragrances, this is to name but a few.

Ensuring that the brand’s ethos continues to be as strong as ever, the family tree has also enabled it to be pushed into the modern market. Since becoming the Creative Director Angela has reinterpreted the brand’s image, increasing brand awareness within a more youthful consumer space and working with trendsetting creative such as Mario Testino on a new advertising style.

Home Fashion and Hotels

Missoni not only were at the forefront of the home fashion revolution but they also created one of the first luxury fashion hotels with the ground breaking Hotel Missoni in Edinburgh, launched in 2009. The only five star hotel on the historical Royal Mile in the heart of the Scottish capital it’s described as ‘Bold. Fashionable. An immense mosaic of Missoni design genius.’ The signature Missoni patterns are as prevalent as you would imagine, even on the kilts of door staff, cleverly combining modern Italian with traditional Scottish style. A second Hotel Missoni followed in Kuwait in 2011 and there are currently plans for more to be developed.

Amara is proud to be the largest online stockist of Missoni Home UK and it is a brand that continues to top our best sellers list. Unlike many other designer home brands Missoni produce just the one collection annually, but it spans every possible home accessory category imaginable and is so full of various eclectic designs that one collection is always enough. Each and every design is made in Italy from the finest materials and with the highest quality control, ensuring the collection is the ultimate in luxury home fashion.

Colour & Pattern

Many of Missoni Home’s products can be grouped together by pattern names; from popular Passiflora, an abstract floral pattern, to the classic Kew variation of zigzag. Patterns tend to be found throughout the collections, for example Giacomo can be found across bathrobes & towels making it easy to coordinate your home style.

Renowned for their use of vibrant colour, Missoni Home code patterned pieces in their collections according to palette. Earthen tones accessories will have a 160 after their name, blue tones 170 and 159/156 are bright and bold colourways. Some pieces across the ranges are actually in block colours, these are broken down further into codes relating to their main colour, e.g. 70 is turquoise and 59 orange – so the code 159 will relate to an orange based colour palette. Knowing how to navigate the codes and understanding them will enable you to choose complimenting tones to your existing decor and further Missoni Home purchases.

Fabrics & Furniture

Being the largest online stockist of Missoni Home, Amara can also source all Missoni fabrics and furniture, so you can choose the perfect fabric for upholstering your existing furniture and creating bespoke cushions, curtains & blinds. There are also many more different home accessories available online for you to buy including candles and a range of outdoor suitable cushions, perfect for a sunny terrace or yacht.

Timeless Style

Missoni Home has created a collection to suit every style of home and every personality. With so many colours, patterns and designs the possibilities are endless, and you don’t have to transform every inch of your home in the kaleidoscopic work of Missoni Home to get the full effect. Rosita gave us her top style tips for the home, explaining

‘Avoid big changes but keep the Home alive and desirable, adding small touches, for example cushions, lamps, plants and flowers, a new rug, a new throw, an off size vase, small chairs etc.’

Timeless style is guaranteed with the endless opportunities of the Missoni Home collection.